Laboratory Simulation of the Formation Process of Surface Geochemical Anomalies Applied to Hydrocarbon Exploration

The formation mechanisms and processes of geochemical anomalies used as proxies in surface geochemistry exploration (SGE) have not been well understood. Previous studies cannot realize 3D measurement of microseeping hydrocarbons from reservoirs to the surface, which made it difficult to understand the features and pathways of deep hydrocarbon microseepages. Understanding the processes of hydrocarbon microseepages will contribute to the acceptance and effectiveness of surface geochemistry. Based on a simplified geological model of hydrocarbon microseepages, including hydrocarbon reservoir, direct caprock, overlying strata and Quaternary sediments, this work established a 3D experimental system to simulate the mechanisms and processes of deep hydrocarbon microseepes extending to the surface. The dispersive halos of microseeping hydrocarbons in the subsurface were adequately described by using this 3D experimental system. Results indicate that different migration patterns of hydrocarbons above the point gas source within the simulated caprock and overlying strata can be reflected by the ratio of i-butane to n-butane (i-C4/n-C4), which follow diffusion and infiltration (buoyancy) mechanisms. This is not the case for vertical measurement lines far from the point gas source. A vertical gas flow in the form of a plume was found during hydrocarbon microseepage. For sampling methods, the high-density grid sampling is favorable for delineating prospecting targets. Hydrocarbon infiltration or buoyancy flow occurs in the zones of infiltration clusters, coupling with a diffusion mechanism at the top of the water table and forming surface geochemical anomalies. These results are significant in understanding hydrocarbon microseepage and interpreting SGE data.     

Magnetic Influences of Cement Dust on Soil in Industrial Area and Its Environmental Implications

To monitor environmental implications of cement dust on soil in industrial area, magnetic parameters and mineral compositions were measured by the samples of the cement dust, cement factory dustfall, cement, coal ash, topsoil of green space in the factory and topsoil outside the factory. Results showed that the major magnetic minerals in the samples were magnetite, the magnetic mineral particle size of cement dust, dustfall, cement and coal ash was coarse Multi-Domian (MD) and Pseudo-Single-Domain (PSD). As topsoil of green space in the factory and topsoil outside the factory were polluted by cement dust, their magnetic properties had been obviously changed; the concentration of magnetic minerals elevated and particle size became coarser. The magnetic parameters (χ_fd,χ_ARM/χ,χ_ARM/SIRM) value can reflect the pollution level of the soil, the lower its value was, the more serious soil was polluted. X-ray diffraction results showed that the mineral compositions of the topsoil of green space in the factory and topsoil outside the factory were quartz and calcite, which were the same as cement dust. Magnetic parameters combination characteristics of topsoil can monitor the soil environmental changes in cement industry area.     

A public Cloud-based China’s Landslide Inventory Database (CsLID): development,zone, and spatiotemporal analysis for significant historical events, 1949-2011

Landslide inventory plays an important role in recording landslide events and showing their temporal-spatial distribution. This paper describes the development, visualization, and analysis of a China's Landslide Inventory Database (CsLID) by utilizing Google’s public cloud computing platform. Firstly, CsLID (Landslide Inventory Database) compiles a total of 1221 historical landslide events spanning the years 1949-2011 from relevant data sources. Secondly, the CsLID is further broken down into six zones for characterizing landslide cause-effect, spatiotemporal distribution, fatalities, and socioeconomic impacts based on the geological environment and terrain. The results show that among all the six zones, zone V, located in Qinba and Southwest Mountainous Area is the most active landslide hotspot with the highest landslide hazard in China. Additionally, the Google public cloud computing platform enables the CsLID to be easily accessible, visually interactive, and with the capability of allowing new data input to dynamically augment the database. This work developed a cyber-landslide inventory and used it to analyze the landslide temporal-spatial distribution in China.     

Local Spatiotemporal Modeling of House Prices: A Mixed Model Approach

The real estate market has long provided an active application area for spatial–temporal modeling and analysis and it is well known that house prices tend to be not only spatially but also temporally correlated. In the spatial dimension, nearby properties tend to have similar values because they share similar characteristics, but house prices tend to vary over space due to differences in these characteristics. In the temporal dimension, current house prices tend to be based on property values from previous years and in the spatial–temporal dimension, the properties on which current prices are based tend to be in close spatial proximity. To date, however, most research on house prices has adopted either a spatial perspective or a temporal one; relatively little effort has been devoted to situations where both spatial and temporal effects coexist. Using ten years of house price data in Fife, Scotland (2003–2012), this research applies a mixed model approach, semiparametric geographically weighted regression (GWR), to explore, model, and analyze the spatiotemporal variations in the relationships between house prices and associated determinants. The study demonstrates that the mixed modeling technique provides better results than standard approaches to predicting house prices by accounting for spatiotemporal relationships at both global and local scales.     

Observed characteristics of atmospheric ducts over the South China Sea in autumn

The observed characteristics of lower atmospheric ducts over the South China Sea(SCS) were analyzed based on Global Position Systerm(GPS) radiosonde data collected four times daily during autumn open cruises from 2006 to 2012.Duct occurrence,thickness,and strength over the SCS were about 40%,150-m thick,and 8 M units,respectively,which were larger than during the summer monsoon period.Most ducts occurred at heights 1 500 m and these ducts easily trap electromagnetic wave clusters with wavelengths 2 m.Diurnal variation of the SCS ducts appeared evident.They occurred more often at midnight at higher altitudes(about 1 100 m),with a thickest layer of about 145 m and less frequently during the evening at lower altitudes(about 800 m),with a thinnest layer of about 125 m.Moreover,ducts during the daytime at a mean height of about 900 m,with the greatest strength of about 10 M units.Furthermore,all duct variables observed over the SCS in autumn decreased from north to south.These findings are useful not only in the design of radar and communication systems,but also for evaluating possible effects of anomalous propagation on meteorological radar and military applications.     

The Fragmentation in a Protoplanetary Disk and the Properties of the Resultant Self-Gravitating Clumps

We study the fragmentation properties in the protoplanetary disk and properties of the resultant self-gravitating clumps using our newly constructed disk model. Our disk model includes the mass inflall term from a molecular cloud core and the photoevaporation winds effect. We adopt the conventional fragmentation criterion to judge whether a protoplanetary disk can fragment. In this work, we follow our previous work to investigate the properties of the resultant self-gravitating clumps. In our calculation, the initial masses of the resultant self-gravitating clumps lie in the range of tens of M_J to more than one hundred of M_J, where M_J is the Jupiter mass. These initial masses can seemingly account for the masses of extrasolar planets in magnitude. We also calculate the subsequent gas accretion of clumps in 1.27 × 10⁴ yr after the formation of self-gravitating clumps. We find that the subsequent gas accretion of self-gravitating clumps is very efficient, and the clump masses grow to hundreds of M_J and the physical radii R_c of clumps increase to about 10 AU. Additionally, we also calculate the orbital migration of clumps. We find that most clumps have short migration timescale to be accreted onto the protostar, and only a small fraction of clumps have long migration timescale (>10⁶ yr) to successfully become gas giant planets. These results are consistent with previous studies.     

Characterizing groundwater/surface-water interactions in the interior of Jianghan Plain,central China

Hydrogeology Journal - Quantifying groundwater/surface-water interactions is essential for managing water resources and revealing contaminant fate. There has been little concern on the exchange...     

Correlation analysis between drought indices and terrestrial water storage from 2002 to 2015 in China

Drought monitoring is a key topic in environmental monitoring and assessment although there is still a need to determine the correlation between drought monitoring indices and remote sensing products. We analyzed the correlation between the self-calibrating Palmer Drought Severity Index (sc_PDSI), the Standardized Precipitation Index and the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) and terrestrial water storage monitored through the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) on a monthly timescale from 2002 to 2015 in China. As a consequence of anomalies in the soil water budget, the highly significant correlation between the sc_PDSI and the GRACE satellite-observed terrestrial water storage suggested that these two datasets are the most suitable for use in monitoring droughts. In comparing the three drought indices, the sc_PDSI was introduced as a means of drought monitoring in the Yangtze, Pearl, Huaihe, Southeast and Songhua River Basins, whereas the SPEI was found to be more applicable to other major river basins, such as the Inland River Basin. These diverse spatial behaviors are caused by the differences between the hydrological droughts characterized by these three drought indices.